SKREIGH- C.DIGGORY

7

Chatter was spreading through the school about the incident that had occurred in Hagrid's class with the third year students. A Hippogriff had attacked Draco Malfoy after Malfoy had insulted the creature which everyone who knew a shred about magical creatures knew was a mistake. Delilah, Stuart and the twins slide onto the bench next to where her brother and his two best friends were sitting.

"We just heard," Delilah says.

"Listen," Harry says bitterly.

"Doe it hurt terribly Draco?" Pansy Parkinson asks, practically throwing herself at the boy.

"It comes and it goes," Draco says. "Still I consider myself lucky. According to Madam Pomfrey, another minute or two and I could have lost my arm. Couldn't possibly do any homework for weeks"

"Malfoy," Delilah says, turning to face the blonde. "If you don't stop talking I'm going to give you something to really cry about and I promise you the scratch on your arm will be a walk in the park"

The Malfoy boy's pales so rapidly that Delilah could have sworn that he was translucent. Delilah raises an eyebrow at the boy who turns away from her, there was no more talk about the incident after that.

"You're terrifying," Stuart says.

"The ,ost important thing is that Hagrid still has his job," George steers the topic of conversation back to the current issue.

"Lucius Malfoy is furious," Delilah states. "We haven't heard the last of this and it's not going to be pretty"

"HE'S BEEN SIGHTED, HE'S BEEN SIGHTED"

"Who?" Ron asks.

"Sirius Black," Seamus says and everyone instantly moves over to try and get a look at the newspaper article.

"Dovetown?" Hermione says, snatching the article. "That's not far from here"

"You don't think he'd come to Hogwarts?" Neville asks shakily and Delilah rests a comforting hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "Do you?"

"It'll be okay Neville," Delilah says soothingly. "We have all the professors here and the dementors are on high alert at every possible entrance"

"Dementors," Seamus says. "He's already slipped past them once, hasn't he? Who's to say he won't do it again?"

"That's right," The boy says. "Black could be anywhere. It's like trying to catch smoke, trying to catch smoke with your bare hands"

Delilah turns her eyes to her brother who had gone pale, a worried look upon his face as he stares at the moving picture of the maniacal man.

The defence against the dark arts classroom had been rearranged by Professor Lupin. All the desks and chairs were stacked in the corner and placed in the centre of the room was a large wardrobe that would rattle aggressively ever so often. All of the students in the room watch with the same amount of apprehension, wondering what could be in the wardrobe.

"What do you reckon is in there?" Delilah asks.

"Some poor child from two years ago that annoyed Professor Snape," George says. "Like that silly muggle film where it has all the nails and stuff-"

"Matilda" Delilah provides George with the film name he was searching for.

"I think it's a frog," Fred says.

"That is one jacked frog," Stuart says when the wardrobe rattles particularly aggressively.

"Intriguing isn't it?" Professor Lupin says. "Would anyone like to venture a guess as to what is inside?"